Evolution and Faith: Clarified Terminology and Reasonable Debate

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. In recent years the news media have characterized the theory of evolution as contentious and that science and religion are incompatible. The so-called debate is fomented self-labeled scientist/believers who claim that the theory of evolution is scientifically ambiguous at best, contending that intelligent design is a viable alternative ―scientific‖ theory. What follows below is an attempt to illustrate how the contentiousness of the issue follows from a misuse of language the ignorance of which falsely enables the so-called debate to continue. At issue is the ambiguous meaning of the word ―random‖—specifically, the scientific sense of random mutations that drive evolution versus the popular meaning of random as unplanned. First I start with some background information about biological evolution and the various theological interpretations prevalent in Christian theological understanding of creation

The Lens of Faith

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. For seven years during the nineties, I taught a course at St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto called Christianity and Science. It served as an introduction to the science division of the Christianity and Culture Program. In that context, it illustrated the essential relationship that Christianity has had to the development of the modern disciplines of natural science out of the ancient and Medieval discipline of natural philosophy. It was a full-year course. The first semester introduced to the students a lesson that many did not expect and some were reluctant to accept: that the scientific knowledge which we hold as certain, can only be described as provisional at best. Some were loath to accept this because the lens of culture has focused upon us the opposite image of absolute certainty

Incarnational Development

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. Aside from the certainty of birth and death, all other qualities of human life are propositional. We were born; we will die … these are the axiomatic statements of human life – i.e., self-evident. We need no proof of their truth, certainly there can be no argument. Anything else we say about human life contains the words “if” and “then” as bridge elements of the inherent uncertainty of life. This “if/then” grammatical structure implies by necessity the influence of external factors that determine and qualify their truth content. If I live until I am 14, then my voice may by then have changed. If I live until I am 24 then I may by then graduate with a BA etc. If/then bridges the numerous possibilities that can happen as contingencies of life

Hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITHOC) in stage IVA thymomas: a narrative review

Background and Objective: While surgery remains a cornerstone of thymoma treatment, its role as a standalone therapy is limited in ensuring adequate local disease control, particularly in cases involving serous dissemination or recurrence. For disseminated disease, various multidisciplinary approaches have been explored, including systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy, either as standalone treatments or in combination with surgery. The efficacy is unsatisfactory, and the management is anything but standardized. However, recently, a promising technique has been introduced within the therapeutic algorithm of advanced stage thymomas: the hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITHOC) as an adjunct to surgery. By combining cytoreductive surgery with localized heated chemotherapy perfusion, HITHOC may help in treating residual disease, providing a targeted approach to pleural dissemination. HITHOC has demonstrated efficacy in managing stage IVA thymomas and thymoma-related pleural recurrences, establishing itself as a potential critical component of modern multimodal treatment strategies. This narrative review aims at providing a detailed examination of the mechanisms, indications, procedural aspects, and outcomes of HITHOC in pleural localization of thymomas, as well as its future potential in thoracic oncology. Methods: A literature search was performed using the MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases, including original full-length articles, meta-analyses, review articles, and case reports published up to January 2025. Key Content and Findings: HITHOC has been developed as an adjunct to macroscopic radical pleural tumor resection. By enhancing local tumor control and lowering recurrence rates, HITHOC provides a valuable addition to the multimodal treatment of advanced thymomas. Conclusions: HITHOC may represent a promising approach in the treatment of advanced thymomas with pleural dissemination. By combining cytoreductive surgery with localized hyperthermic chemotherapy, it may address the limitations of conventional therapies, potentially offering improved local disease control and survival

Automatic wide complex tachycardia differentiation using mathematically synthesized vectorcardiogram signals

BACKGROUND: Automated wide complex tachycardia (WCT) differentiation into ventricular tachycardia (VT) and supraventricular wide complex tachycardia (SWCT) may be accomplished using novel calculations that quantify the extent of mean electrical vector changes between the WCT and baseline electrocardiogram (ECG). At present, it is unknown whether quantifying mean electrical vector changes within three orthogonal vectorcardiogram (VCG) leads (X, Y, and Z leads) can improve automated VT and SWCT classification. METHODS: A derivation cohort of paired WCT and baseline ECGs was used to derive five logistic regression models: (i) one novel WCT differentiation model (i.e., VCG Model), (ii) three previously developed WCT differentiation models (i.e., WCT Formula, VT Prediction Model, and WCT Formula II), and (iii) one all-inclusive model (i.e., Hybrid Model). A separate validation cohort of paired WCT and baseline ECGs was used to trial and compare each model\u27s performance. RESULTS: The VCG Model, composed of WCT QRS duration, baseline QRS duration, absolute change in QRS duration, X-lead QRS amplitude change, Y-lead QRS amplitude change, and Z-lead QRS amplitude change, demonstrated effective WCT differentiation (area under the curve [AUC] 0.94) for the derivation cohort. For the validation cohort, the diagnostic performance of the VCG Model (AUC 0.94) was similar to that achieved by the WCT Formula (AUC 0.95), VT Prediction Model (AUC 0.91), WCT Formula II (AUC 0.94), and Hybrid Model (AUC 0.95). CONCLUSION: Custom calculations derived from mathematically synthesized VCG signals may be used to formulate an effective means to differentiate WCTs automatically

Computerized electrocardiogram data transformation enables effective algorithmic differentiation of wide QRS complex tachycardias

BACKGROUND: Accurate automated wide QRS complex tachycardia (WCT) differentiation into ventricular tachycardia (VT) and supraventricular wide complex tachycardia (SWCT) can be accomplished using calculations derived from computerized electrocardiogram (ECG) data of paired WCT and baseline ECGs. OBJECTIVE: Develop and trial novel WCT differentiation approaches for patients with and without a corresponding baseline ECG. METHODS: We developed and trialed WCT differentiation models comprised of novel and previously described parameters derived from WCT and baseline ECG data. In Part 1, a derivation cohort was used to evaluate five different classification models: logistic regression (LR), artificial neural network (ANN), Random Forests [RF], support vector machine (SVM), and ensemble learning (EL). In Part 2, a separate validation cohort was used to prospectively evaluate the performance of two LR models using parameters generated from the WCT ECG alone (Solo Model) and paired WCT and baseline ECGs (Paired Model). RESULTS: Of the 421 patients of the derivation cohort (Part 1), a favorable area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) by all modeling subtypes: LR (0.96), ANN (0.96), RF (0.96), SVM (0.96), and EL (0.97). Of the 235 patients of the validation cohort (Part 2), the Solo Model and Paired Model achieved a favorable AUC for 103 patients with (Solo Model 0.87; Paired Model 0.95) and 132 patients without (Solo Model 0.84; Paired Model 0.95) a corroborating electrophysiology procedure or intracardiac device recording. CONCLUSION: Accurate WCT differentiation may be accomplished using computerized data of (i) the WCT ECG alone and (ii) paired WCT and baseline ECGs

Impact of Aetiological Treatment on Conventional and Multiplex Serology in Chronic Chagas Disease

The main criterion for treatment effectiveness in Chagas Disease has been the seronegative conversion of previously reactive serology, generally achieved many years post-treatment. The lack of reliable tests to ensure parasite clearance and to examine the effect of treatment is the main difficulty in evaluating treatment for chronic Chagas disease. Decreases of conventional and non-conventional serological titers can be useful tools to monitor the early impact of treatment. We serially measured changes in antibody levels, including seronegative conversion as well as declines in titers in 53 benznidazole-treated and 89 untreated chronically T. cruzi-infected subjects. Seronegative conversion as well as decreases of titers was significantly higher in treated compared with untreated patients. A strong concordance was found between decreases of titers of conventional and non-conventional serologic tests post-treatment, reaffirming the findings. When seronegative conversion plus decreases of titers were considered altogether, the impact of treatment was higher, in a shorter follow-up period than previously considered. New tools for monitoring the effectiveness of treatment of chronic Chagas disease are necessary, and the results showed in this study is a contribution to researchers and physicians who assist patients suffering from this disease

Lung cancer multi-omics digital human avatars for integrating precision medicine into clinical practice: the LANTERN study

Background: The current management of lung cancer patients has reached a high level of complexity. Indeed, besides the traditional clinical variables (e.g., age, sex, TNM stage), new omics data have recently been introduced in clinical practice, thereby making more complex the decision-making process. With the advent of Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, various omics datasets may be used to create more accurate predictive models paving the way for a better care in lung cancer patients. Methods: The LANTERN study is a multi-center observational clinical trial involving a multidisciplinary consortium of five institutions from different European countries. The aim of this trial is to develop accurate several predictive models for lung cancer patients, through the creation of Digital Human Avatars (DHA), defined as digital representations of patients using various omics-based variables and integrating well-established clinical factors with genomic data, quantitative imaging data etc. A total of 600 lung cancer patients will be prospectively enrolled by the recruiting centers and multi-omics data will be collected. Data will then be modelled and parameterized in an experimental context of cutting-edge big data analysis. All data variables will be recorded according to a shared common ontology based on variable-specific domains in order to enhance their direct actionability. An exploratory analysis will then initiate the biomarker identification process. The second phase of the project will focus on creating multiple multivariate models trained though advanced machine learning (ML) and AI techniques for the specific areas of interest. Finally, the developed models will be validated in order to test their robustness, transferability and generalizability, leading to the development of the DHA. All the potential clinical and scientific stakeholders will be involved in the DHA development process. The main goals aim of LANTERN project are: i) To develop predictive models for lung cancer diagnosis and histological characterization; (ii) to set up personalized predictive models for individual-specific treatments; iii) to enable feedback data loops for preventive healthcare strategies and quality of life management. Discussion: The LANTERN project will develop a predictive platform based on integration of multi-omics data. This will enhance the generation of important and valuable information assets, in order to identify new biomarkers that can be used for early detection, improved tumor diagnosis and personalization of treatment protocols. Ethics Committee approval number: 5420 − 0002485/23 from Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Ethics Committee. Trial registration: clinicaltrial.gov - NCT05802771

Effect of blood glucose level on standardized uptake value (SUV) in F-18- FDG PET-scan : a systematic review and meta-analysis of 20,807 individual SUV measurements

Objectives To evaluate the effect of pre-scan blood glucose levels (BGL) on standardized uptake value (SUV) in F-18-FDG-PET scan. Methods A literature review was performed in the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane library databases. Multivariate regression analysis was performed on individual datum to investigate the correlation of BGL with SUVmax and SUVmean adjusting for sex, age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus diagnosis, F-18-FDG injected dose, and time interval. The ANOVA test was done to evaluate differences in SUVmax or SUVmean among five different BGL groups (200 mg/dl). Results Individual data for a total of 20,807 SUVmax and SUVmean measurements from 29 studies with 8380 patients was included in the analysis. Increased BGL is significantly correlated with decreased SUVmax and SUVmean in brain (p <0.001, p <0.001,) and muscle (p <0.001, p <0.001) and increased SUVmax and SUVmean in liver (p = 0.001, p = 0004) and blood pool (p=0.008, p200 mg/dl had significantly lower SUVmax. Conclusion If BGL is lower than 200mg/dl no interventions are needed for lowering BGL, unless the liver is the organ of interest. Future studies are needed to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET scan in diagnosis of malignant lesions in hyperglycemia.Peer reviewe